History
=History= : The Clans didn't all start the same time in this roleplay, instead, they gradually became what they were today after certain events took place. The founders of each Clan, respective to the order of founding are: Eiríkr, Hel, Valkyrie, and, Myrkr of ShadeClan; the Primordials of MoonClan; and Colt of NightClan. : Below is the detailed history of each individual Clan. :: A chronological list of rank succession for each Clan can be found here. ShadeClan :ShadeClan's history is divided into four eras; Origins, the Golden Age, and finally, the Revolution. These cats have a long and deep history with the territories and highly regard this heritage. Stories are common in ShadeClan cats and these eras are used to define the important parts of the Clan's formation. ShadeClan is currently entering its fourth era which has yet to be named, but, the leader is Spiderstar, and some believe she will rewrite ShadeClan's past. Origins : ShadeClan was said to have been the first Clan to be officially founded. It was founded by four former members of a group known as Helheim. These cats were Eiríkr, Hel, Valkyrie, and, Myrkr. Together they worked as a team to create the early foundations that set them up for generations to come. Sadly, Hel passed away a few seasons after the founding, but, she and Eiríkr had already set in stone traditions and customs that would be carried on in her honour. : Now, the beginning of this settlement wasn't without its struggles. A lot of the first issues stemmed from power struggles between Eiríkr and some of his cats. It is safe to say that the founder was able to remain in his position and continue his reign for the years to come. He was known across the territory for his need to conquer and this alone made him a fearful opponent. Other issues came from two other Clans that had slowly started forming, and Eiríkr knew that change would have to be made if ShadeClan would survive. He and his remaining co-founders continued their work of creating borders, patrolling them, and quite literally, leaving bloodstains to be found. : ShadeClan in their early days were notorious for killing trespassers or unfaithful cats. This stemmed from the Clan's semi-connected history with the Helheim, as those cats were notorious for killing unloyal cats to promote unwavering faith in those who remained. Eiríkr committed the most crimes out of the early cats, and many knew it too. It wasn't long before rumours started about the lengths he would go to, just to have power of those around him. :: For the full history of ''Ancient Wars, please refer to this page.'' : During the height of Eiríkr's reign he began a fierce rivalry with NightClan's founder, Colt. The two would often clash over a section of territory that in the past had belonged to the Helheim cats, but, had since been marked as NightClan's turf. Eiríkr and Colt fought tooth and claw over a single section of land and many of the cats that followed them paid the price for the leader's insolence. In the end, all it took was for Eiríkr to gravely injure his rival and for Colt, later known as Darkstar, to succumb to his wounds to end this years long rivalry. The Golden Age : The tom became a notorious lady's man and supposedly fathered multiple litters. He actually fathered litters with both Myrkr and Valkyrie without either of them knowing. However, his relationship with Myrkr was strained and eventually, after she gave birth, exiled her for treason. She left behind his firstborn son, Agnar who would be his true successor. Valkyrie would give birth to his only named daughter, Brynja, whilst fostering the kittens left behind by Myrkr. As his brood grew up, he saw that his son had a mind much like his father and suggested the idea of a deputy too. Eiríkr saw the wits in his son's idea and allowed the younger tom to pick his deputy. Agnar chose his half-sister, Brynja, as the two were quite close despite their different maternal heritage. So with these new ranks, a new era was brought into ShadeClan and these ranks remain the same in the modern Clan. : Agnar succeeded his father following the founder's death. Agnar had a successful rule and was able to father his own children. Some say the tom's leadership would've been completely different without the help of his sister's deputyship. It is believed that Valkyrie passed away not long after Agnar fathered his own kits, and with her death, all the founders of ShadeClan are deceased. : By the middle stages of his rule, Agnar was already the father to two toms, Gunnar and Vidar. Originally, just as his own father had done, Agnar named his firstborn as heir. However, Gunnar was killed whilst protecting the Clan's territory and this also happened to Brynja who met the same fate. The middle-aged leader was forced to name his second son as heir and also name a new deputy. He decided to name an older cat, Unnr, as his sister's successor. Eventually, Agnar would come to pass due to a mysterious illness in the mind and would leave the Clan in the paws of his second son. The Revolution : Now, the last couple of leader's fall into an interesting time for the Clans. Vidar was lucky enough to have lived during what some cat's called the Revolution. The Revolution was where the leaders of the three Clans all met for the first time in generations with no intent of murder or usurping the others. This meeting was held to lay down necessary rules that would allow less bloodshed and so that there could be law. These laws would become what the modern Clans know as the Warrior Code. Vidar was also present to learn of a naming system so that Clan cats could distinguish themselves from loners or rogues. ShadeClan was still using their old names that had been there for generations. He started the new generation in ShadeClan by taking on the name of Murkfang and later Murkstar upon the discovery of their Star Ancestors. Most of ShadeClan followed in his pawsteps by taking on new names, however, some of the older cats kept their names due to their attachment to them. It should be noted that Murkstar seemed to have had the worst luck with keeping deputies. Over his entire leadership, the tom had, including Unnar, four cats serve with him. Eventually, Murkstar lost his final life to the sinking terrain in the southern reaches of ShadeClan territory. : His daughter, Nightflower became Nightstar and some regarded her as ShadeClan's heart. She had a slightly different outlook on how to rule a Clan and she had her best friend, Adderclaw by her side following the passing of Owlfur. These two managed to create a new era of cats aligned with ShadeClan. Nightstar essentially followed in the pawsteps of Agnar and made the Clan even better in a way. She managed to become one of the most beloved leaders in the territories because she was able to uphold her family's desires, but, not without sacrificing her own morals to do so. It is said that towards the later years of her leadership she spent a lot of it teaching her eldest daughter, Spiderclaw, what makes a leader and how to survive in the world their ancestor's had created. It is suspected that these motherly actions are also what gave her the nickname of ShadeClan's heart and ShadeClan's mother. Unnamed Era (Current) : After the death of Nightstar due to her advancing age, her eldest daughter, Spiderclaw succeeded her leadership. It was said upon her accession to the role of leader that Spiderclaw would have big paws to fill due to the history of her family and their ties to the land. Traditions & Customs : Over the years, ShadeClan has been known to have quite a few traditions and customs. Most of them are from the early days of their founders, Eiríkr, Hel, Valkyrie, and, Mrkyr, due to the way they were raised in their former group. However, Eiríkr and Hel, are more notably credited with the formation of these traditions. Listed below are ShadeClan's most notable traditions and customs. :* The oldest known tradition of ShadeClan is that a leader's successor is their first born child, regardless of gender. A leader must still name a deputy to help them keep the Clan running functionally, but, their deputy cannot succeed them. If a leader dies before they can produce an heir then the Clan must nominate the cat they believe should be the leader. This alone has not happened, but, it is assumed that it would be a messy affair. :* ShadeClan also uses a different rank system to the other Clans. They have what they call the obvious High ranks such as; the Leader, Deputy, the Heir, and the Healer. Below that are the Common ranks. These consist of soldiers, trainees, and queens. Soldiers and trainees are ShadeClan's equivalent of warriors and apprentices. Kittens become trainees at six moons and are made into Soldiers at fourteen or more moons, dependent on how well they've progressed in training. :* These cats are expected to serve as soldiers up until their deaths. ShadeClan has no retirement option for their senior soldiers, who don't get any special rank either. A soldier is a solider according to these cats. This custom has created a weird culture from these cats as their 'elders' don't get the respect they basically deserve until they die. Only then is a cat commended for their service to ShadeClan. :* An interesting tradition this Clan has adopted is that every few moons they will celebrate their ancestors and those lost to them. Though the exact celebration can depend from leader to leader, most have the entire Clan, save for the healer and one or two soldiers, hunt so that they may gather a feast. Said feast is held at moonhigh and the whole Clan remembers their former loved ones or simply the early ShadeClan cats who had given their lives so that the Clan can endure. It is described as a beautiful and emotional night for some and it remains to be their most intricate and spiritual traditions. :* A queen usually only has one litter. Maybe two if the first litter dies (or if only one kitten survives). After that, a repeat queen is seen as lazy and looking for attention. She is only perceived as lazy due to the notion that she may just be wanting to lay around and nurse cats all day instead of helping the Clan more directly. Even those more maternal cats know that they are expected to have one or maybe two litters in their lifetimes. Having too many children can again result in muddy blood for the Clan. :* It’s considered poor taste to name a kitten after someone. The main reason is that, as said above, a prefix is meant to give a cat their own identity as well as describe their colour. To name your kitten Snake- after your mother, for example, is seen as putting unfair expectations on them and bogging them down with someone else’s memories before they even have a chance to make some of their own. NightClan :Founded on their belief that bloodlines must remain pure, NightClan is last of the three Clans to be founded; founded by Colt and his Kittypet friend, Amelia. The two were briefly mates before Amelia's untimely death, with her death she left him a daughter, Shadow. :It was around the time of Amelia's death that it was revealed that he also had a fling with one of MoonClan's leaders, Vega. She bore him a son, Ophiuchus who became leader after his mother and aunt. Castor had a short rule, growing senile and angry in his late leadership. His daughter, Shadow, grew worried and soon plotted his death as he refused to listen to any reasoning. Upon confronting her father, she challenged him for leadership and lost; this drove him over the edge and he led a battle against Eiríkr where he was murdered by the ShadeClan leader. :Upon the succession of her father, Shadow took the name Shadowstar and announced that leadership would be made from the leader's first born kit and the second or third born would become a medicine cat. As leader, Shadowstar kept peace with the other Clans and made sure NightClan primarily kept to itself. When she fell ill, she named her successor as her first and only apprentice, Ivysnow. Shadowstar passed later that night leaving Ivysnow as her successor. Ivysnow became leader, later being renamed to Ivystar. :As leader, Ivystar created the deputy role as a sort of adviser to the leader. There she named her first deputy, Addernose, who later became her mate. The two kept the peace that Shadowstar had begun and soon Ivystar gave birth to her only duaghter, Minnowkit. There she named Minnowkit her successor. When Minnowkit grew old enough to be apprenticed, Ivystar named her daughter Minnowpaw and gave herself as her mentor. :Ivystar trained her daughter until she was nearly two years old before she named her a warrior with the name Minnowfin. Minnowfin was said to be one of the Clan's best swimmers at the time. After Minnowfin was betrothed Troutclaw, shortly before Ivystar's death she gave birth to two kits; four daughters and a son - Tigerkit, Cootnose, Frostshine, and Alderkit. Ivystar died later that week from old age, Minnowfin succeeding her. Minnowfin became Minnowstar, naming her own mate as her deputy. There she named Tigerkit as her heir. Minnowstar remained leader for a long while, when she passed from old Tigerclaw succeeding her as leader. Tigerstar named her childhood friend, Dovesplash as her deputy. Notable Cats *Colt, later named Darkstar, was the founder and first leader of NightClan, he was the mate of Amelia and former mate of Vega. With Amelia he bore a daughter, Shadowstar, and with Vega he bore a son, Ophiuchus. It is unknown what other she-cats or kits he had during his lifetime. *Shadowstar was the second leader of NightClan, the first known heir. She challenged her father after he grew senile and eventually ended up killing him. She bore no children and thus named her apprentice, Ivysnow as her successor. *Ivystar was the third leader of NightClan, succeeding Shadowstar. She named Addernose as her deputy and even took him as her mate. With him, she bore a daughter Minnowstar, who would later succeed her mother. *Minnowstar was the fourth leader of Night, succeeding her mother. She kept her father as deputy until his passing where she named her own mate as deputy. She had bore five kits before becoming leader and even named her first born daughter as her successor. *Tigerstar is the fifth and current leader of NightClan, she was betrothed to Willowface shortly after finishing her training. She is the daughter of Minnowstar and Troutclaw, she has not yet bore any kits with Willowface. MoonClan :MoonClan, founded on the belief that the Clan's founders themselves were gods and held a power much stronger than StarClan in their hands. They, as a Clan, follow customs that are completely foreign to the other Clans. A deputy that makes it leadership is believed to be the reincarnate of one of their ten founders. Their personality and the way they led let the Clan members themselves choose who they believe their leader to be. :Their customs as a Clan aren't very different, however the freewill to believe in StarClan is forbidden, the punishment normally being banished or death depending on the severity of the belief and crime of the belief. The Clan follows the same code of conduct as the other Clans, to put on a false view that they believe in StarClan. However, it is the Clan, itself, is suspected and famed for having a great lack of belief in StarClan. It is unknown who the previous leading ranks of MoonClan are before Thunderstar. Traditions & Customs :MoonClan worships what the cats call primordial, old cat beings however it is unknown whether these cats are immortal or still alive. They have become like the eight major spirits that give lives to leaders, as it's believed that the leader's themselves are reincarnates of said primordials. Below is the list of every primordial. For more information on MoonClan and it's custom please see, this. Primordial Beings :Khothos is the leader of the primordial beings and the ruler of the sky and earth. He is born to a pair normal cats but his affinity for the earth and sky led him on his lifelong journey to the life of a primordial. There he met nine other primordials that were much like him with affinities as strong as his. The only known family he is known to have is a deceased mortal lover by the name of Zisana. :Dytlena is a primordial being and the ruler of vengeance and war, she is believed to be the being that helps the Clan itself win it's battles and gain it's vengeance on those who have wronged them. Her only known family are her parents and a half-sister, Thaneyar, on her father's side. :Thaneyar is a primordial being and the ruler of the seasons and natural events, such as hurricanes, floods, etc. She is believed to be the reason that no cat outside of WinterClan has ever set food in the treacherous region that MoonClan lives. Her only known family are Dytlena, her half-sister, and her son, Tirasil. :Tirasil is a primordial being and the ruler of the afterlife, known by the Clan as the Burning Grounds, and death. He is said to be the lone cat that decides each cat's fate. His only known family are his mother, Thaneyar, and half-aunt, Dytlena. :Xadona is a primordial being and the ruler of fertility and plentiful prey as well as other resources. It is said that when the Clan is thriving with both kits and resources that the primordial being is happy with how the Clan is doing during that season however if both are scarce the Clan sees it as an omen that the primordial is angry with them. :Retia is a primordial being and the ruler of defense and strategic warfare. She is believed to be the rival of Dyylena, of whom is the primordial of vengeance and war. She only has her parents as her known family, they were said to be like her however very weak with their affinities. :Phatis is a primordial being and the ruler of night and day. He is the prime decider of how long day/night lasts. It is said that the reason night lasts so long in winter is because he is hiding from the cold thus this makes the Clan itself suffer in the freezing weather of winter. He is believed to be the one that named the Clan. His only known family are his parents, however he was orphaned at a short age and raised by a rogue queen. :Grerna is a primordial being and the ruler of the hunt and its strategies. She is the lone primordial that came up with the moves/techniques that the Clan uses to hunt in their territory. She has only known grandparents that raised her before they passed. :Nonthar is a primordial being and the ruler of love and lust. He is known as the cupid amongst the Clan. He's said to be the reason that cats fall in love and have such a strong connection. When these cats break up, it is said that, that break up shames Nonthar himself, due to this cats who take a second mate after their first passes away are considered to be outcasts due to breaking the contract of love that Nonthar graced them with. :Zymarae is a primordial being and the ruler of messages and architecture. She is the primordial that Clans thank for communication and how the camp itself is styled. The camp's style has never once changed since she created it. Category:Important Pages Category:History